Leicester City's title chase gets Thai monk's blessing

Claudio Ranieri's tactics, Riyad Mahrez's creativity and Jamie Vardy's goals have all played their part in Leicester City's remarkable run but good karma is what will land them their first English Premier League title, according to a Thai monk.

With only four games remaining, the Thai-owned club that looked set for relegation last year are currently eight points clear and in sight of a remarkable championship after a season that has left pundits and fans struggling to explain how.

Buddhist monk Phra Prommangkalachan, the 63-year-old assistant to the abbot of Bangkok's Traimitr Temple, believes the honest work of Leicester's billionaire owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, is the reason.

"It's not got anything to do with magic. It's Vichai's good deeds that help garner support from fans across the world which became the power for Leicester City Football Club," he said. "I believe that all the good karma that Vichai has made will be a factor that helps Leicester to definitely win the Premier League."

Vichai is a regular devotee of the monk, believed by many of them to have magical powers that have helped Leicester this season. Vichai has invited Phra Prommangkalachan, also known as Chao Khun Thongchai, to give his blessings at the King Power Stadium in Leicester and the monk said he would travel to England "very soon".

In the meantime, Phra Prommangkalachan is helping Leicester's unlikely run by giving away holy 'never know how to lose' cloths in blue, white and yellow/gold to bring luck to the team, who scraped a 2-2 draw with West Ham United on 17 April.

"The holy cloth is one of the psychological tools that we created to reinforce the moral support and create positive thinking for the team," he said.